Nelson George, Gale Anne Hurd, Joe Swanberg to keynote SXSW Film

Writer Nelson George, producer Gale Anne Hurd and actor/director Joe Swanberg will offer the keynote addresses at the SXSW Film Conference and Festival, it was announced Tuesday.

SXSW also released their full conference schedule which also included (deep breath) conversations with “Miles Ahead” director star Don Cheadle, actress Gaby Hoffmann, directors Joe Berlinger and Barbara Kopple, Texas filmmakers Andrew Bujalski and David Lowery and actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Nelson George

George, a longtime journalist, critic, filmmaker and producer, directed the HBO films “Life Support” and “A Ballerina’s Tale” and is a writer/producer on the Netflix series “The Get Down,” which is slated to premiere in August. (It also sounds like it covers the same place and time as HBO’s “Vinyl” — New York’s wild ’70s are back!)

Gale Ann Hurd with Waking Dead star Andrew Lincoln

Hurd produced the “Terminator” trilogy, “Aliens,” and many other films and currently exec produces AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead.” Look for her to survey her career and discuss her new shows, the Syfy series “Hunters, which premieres April 11 and USA Network’s “Falling Water” will debut later this year.

Swanberg has directed 20 features, including “Drinking Buddies” and “Happy Christmas,” and starred in “You’re Next,” “The Sacrament” and “V/H/S.”and has started producing for other filmmakers such as Alex Ross Perry and Zach Clark.

As for the conversations, Joe Berlinger (the “West Memphis 3” films) and Barbara Kopple (“Wild Man Blues,” “Harlan County U.S.A.”) are both brilliant and well-regarded documentarians; their chat should prove extremely insightful about their discipline.

Look for Austin filmmaker Andrew Bujalski (“Computer Chess,” “Results” and Dallas filmmaker David Lowery (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” the “Pete’s Dragon” reboot) to talk about their time at past SXSW fests with various films.

Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle will probably talk mostly about his Miles Davis movie “Miles Ahead,” in which he also stars. I am hoping for weird stories about “Traffic,” the Avengers movies and possibly also his Showtime show “House of Lies.”

You might remember actor Joel Edgerton from his role as Tom in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, the leader of the SEAL team in “Zero Dark Thirty” or The Gift, which he also directed, wrote and produced. Look for him in “Jane Got a Gun” and Austin filmmaker Jeff Nichols’ drama “Loving.”

Actress Gaby Hoffman has been in everything from “Uncle Buck” to “Girls” to “Transparent.” She is also the daughter of former Warhol superstar Viva and was raised for a spell in the Chelsea Hotel, which will never get old to some of us.

A few more highlights: Look for Austin filmmaker David Gordon Green to chat with Jake Gyllenhaal. The latter is shooting Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals,” the former will be at SXSW with longtime friend and collaborator Danny McBride’s new HBO show “Vice Principals.”

There will also be a panel on the smash HBO series “Silicon Valley” and its relationship to the actual tech community. Look for cast members Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr and Zach Woods as well as executive producers Mike Judge and Alec Berg.

And last but very much not least, following the world premiere of “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,” Pee-wee producer Judd Apatow will perform stand up comedy with special guests, to be announced. If you are seated for the premier, you can stay for the sets.

Here is the whole schedule, subject to change, obviously:

2016 FILM CONFERENCE SESSIONS BY TRACK

To improve navigation of the rich panoply of Conference sessions available for SXSW registrants, the Film Conference has been organized into four tracks: Influencers, Creating Your Content, Finding Your Audience, and What’s Next. Each session also has a format, ranging from one-on-one mentor sessions to hands-on workshops to panels with up to four industry experts.

Influencers

Inspiration from thought leaders, experts and innovators including Keynotes and conversations.

Nelson George Keynote

Nelson George is the author of groundbreaking histories of African American music, including Where Did Our Love Go: the Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound and Hip Hop America. George has directed the HBO films Life Support and A Ballerina’s Tale about the career of Misty Copeland. He is a writer/producer on the Netflix series The Get Down, premiering in August. George will speak about transitions in careers and technology, how the two intersect, and how change is like your crazy best friend. (Sunday, March 13, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Vimeo Theater, Austin Convention Center)

Gale Anne Hurd Keynote

Producer Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator trilogy, Aliens, The Waterdance and many other films) will discuss her career, creative producing, and being a female producer in a predominately male industry. She will offer observations and advice for aspiring filmmakers coupled with practical insight based on her personal experiences. Gale is currently an Officer of the Producers Guild of America and Executive Produces AMC’s The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. Her newest shows, Hunters, a Syfy original series, premieres April 11th and USA Network’s Falling Water will debut later this year.

Joe Swanberg is the director of 20 feature films, including Hannah Takes The Stairs, Drinking Buddies, and Happy Christmas. As an actor, he has had leading roles in several horror successes, most notably You’re Next, The Sacrament, and V/H/S. Recently, through his Forager Film Company, he has produced the work of other filmmakers, including Alex Ross Perry, Harrison Atkin and Zach Clark. He and his wife, Kris, created the popular web series Young American Bodies which ran for four seasons on Nerve.com and IFC.com.

Always true to their cinéma-verité roots in an ever-changing documentary landscape, Kopple and Berlinger remain two of the most fearless and authentic filmmakers in the business. This conversation offers formidable insight from a lifetime in the creative trenches.

(Sunday, March 13 – Room 16AM, Austin Convention Center)

A Conversation with Louis Black and Leonard Maltin

Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny director (with Karen Bernstein) and SXSW co-founder Louis Black will join friend and veteran critic Leonard Maltin for this special conversation. Sure to engage, with great humor and insight drawn from a shared, longtime love of cinema, this is a can’t-miss session for cinephiles.

This special conversation teams two restlessly inventive film artists with enviable resumes. Emerging from the community of creatives that developed around SXSW in the mid-2000s, Bujalski and Lowery will deliver invaluable perspective for the next wave of aspiring creatives.

(Day/Time TBC, Room 16AM, Austin Convention Center)

A Conversation with Don Cheadle

An intimate conversation Don Cheadle. Miles Ahead marks the directorial debut of the Academy Award® nominee. Don’s credits include Boogie Nights, Traffic, Hotel Rwanda, Crash, Iron Man 2 & 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron and the upcoming Captain America: Civil War. Cheadle also stars in, executive produces, and occasionally directs Showtime’s House of Lies, for which he has earned a Golden Globe® Award, NAACP Award, as well as Emmy and SAG nominations.

Joel Edgerton earned a 2013 Australian Film Institute Award for his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. His recent projects include starring roles in Black Mass, Zero Dark Thirty, Wish You Were Here, Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings, Felony, Warrior, and The Gift, which he also directed, wrote and produced. He will next star in Jane Got a Gun, and the Jeff Nichols drama Loving.

Join actor Gaby Hoffmann for a career conversation spanning her early roles in Field of Dreams and Uncle Buck to her present-day performances in Girls and Transparent. She will reflect on her personal experiences and artistic influences that have informed and shaped her career. In addition, she will share valuable insights into her process, the craft and industry. Presented by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

There was a time when short films were made solely to launch careers but those days are gone. Today short-form storytelling is a big deal and is being embraced by auteur and amateur filmmakers alike. With outlets such as Field of Vision and The New Yorker Presents (Amazon Prime Video), there are more and more opportunities to showcase these powerful films. Join filmmakers, curators and producers as they discuss the ever-expanding landscape for getting these films made and seen. Moderated by Anne Thompson, Indiewire.

Audiences and critics alike have lauded HBO’s hit comedy Silicon Valley for its hilariously spot-on depiction of Silicon Valley tech culture. What has the feedback been from the tech community itself? How has the reaction from that community impacted the show and its cast? Cast members Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr and Zach Woods, joined by executive producers Mike Judge and Alec Berg, return to SXSW for a discussion moderated by co-star Andy Daly.

Digital has overtaken print throughout the media, and it’s no different in the realms of food and travel. But can travel websites move beyond top ten lists and gauzy food porn? Can you build an audience while talking about the world as it really exists, with all its heartache and idiocy and occasional triumphs? Anthony Bourdain talks food, fear and the future of travel media with Roads & Kingdoms co-founder Nathan Thornburgh.

Filmmaker Athima Rachel Tsangari (Chevalier, Attenberg) will speak with Sarah Green, an Academy Award-nominated independent film producer known for her ongoing work with visionary directors including Jeff Nichols, Terrence Malick, Julie Taymor, David Mamet, Karyn Kusama and John Sayles. Green has produced such acclaimed films as Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life (Winner, Palme d’Or; Nominated, Academy Award for Best Picture), Jeff Nichols’ Mud, and Julie Taymor’s Frida. Upcoming releases include Jeff Nichols’ Midnight Special, and Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups, Weightless, and Voyage of Time. Green is currently in production on Jeff Nichols’ Loving.

David Gordon Green will speak with Academy Award nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who has established himself as one of the finest actors of his generation. He can next be seen in Jean-Marc Vallee’s Demolition and is shooting Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals.

Want to make a living making online entertainment? This solo session explores how to develop your voice and your audience without having to sell out or rely on viral videos. Speaker: Zach Anner, Zach Anner Productions

Sam Esmail, Rami Malek and Christian Slater will take part in a “Coding on Camera: MR. ROBOT & Authenticity on TV” a panel in the Future of Entertainment Convergence track at SXSW 2016. Mr. Robot World Premiered in the Episodics section of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival and went on to win critical and audience acclaim.

A conversation with filmmakers and tech innovators JJ Abrams and Andrew Jarecki about the relevance of the human factor in digital communications. Advances in digital storytelling tools, and the mass adoption of social media promise to enhance our ability to share authentic human experience.

Join Geena Davis, Academy Award-Winning Actor, Founder and Chair, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS, for a conversation about gender and the media. Geena and Paula have worked together to make changes in the way that women and girls are portrayed onscreen.

A one-on-one discussion with Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor, producer, philanthropist, and role model Kerry Washington about the new rules of modern personal branding. Kerry will be chatting with InStyle‘s Editorial Director Ariel Foxman about how she has successfully harnessed the power of social media to promote not only her career and hit TV Show, Scandal, but also positivity and social good.

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the creators, executive producers and stars of Comedy Central’s critically-acclaimed hit show Broad City, sit down with Marie Claire’s editor in chief Anne Fulenwider for a broad ranging discussion on the transition of their show from web series to cultural phenom.

Ken Burns and Henry Louis Gates will discuss why race is critical to their understanding of America and their work and how as a nation we deal with race today. They examine how race and conceptions of race, along with ideas about freedom and independence, influence our politics and policies, from abolitionism to civil rights to the war on poverty and what it means to have an African American as President.

The industry is changing for female filmmakers. Let’s hear from the women on the front lines. Members of Film Fatales – all established independent filmmakers – tell all about the changing climate. Speakers: Judi Krant, Beachwood Pictures; Kat Candler, Candler Productions; Leah Meyerhoff, Film Fatales; Marielle Heller

We will dissect a standard delivery to a distributor, what items are required and will examine often-overlooked elements that filmmakers should be thinking about throughout production. Speakers: Adam, Church, Broad Green Pictures; Jason, Tobias, Broad Green Pictures; Jo Dee Freck, Broad Green Pictures

Learn what it takes to produce a marketable and meaningful documentary or docuseries from the producers of such major documentaries as Finders Keepers, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and Chef’s Table. Speakers: Andrew Fried, Boardwalk Pictures; Bryan Carberry Clay Tweel Ross Dinerstein, Campfire; Elsa Ramo, Ramo Law

You will learn 3 simple questions that will determine what is and what is not fair use. There will be lots of examples of both documentaries and fictional films by the Obi Wan Kenobi of fair use. Speakers: Michael Donaldson, Donaldson & Callif LLP

This panel will provide an overview of the entire process of securing music for independent films, as well as various solutions for maximizing a small budget. Speakers: Amanda Krieg Thomas, Neophonic Music & Media; Joel West Jonathan Lane, Audio Network; Rob Lowry, Sweater Weather Music

Learn tips and strategies to see your film in a whole new light during its final stage of writing… editing. Speakers: David Fabelo Kyle Henry, Northwestern University; Leah Marino Sandra, Adair, Detour Film production

Peace Officer, winner of the 2015 SXSW Grand Jury & Audience Awards was made by first time directors. Here they share how to make a timely doc when you don’t win grants, workshops, or labs. Speakers: Brad Barber Scott Christopherson

Building on the success of last year’s hit Unfriended, we explore Screenshare Filmmaking, verité storytelling set entirely on screens of digital devices. More at screensharefilms.com Speakers: Timur Bekmambetov, NBCUniversal; Nelson Greaves

A unique opportunity to spend an hour with the heads of the European film commission and emerging filmmakers – learning new ways of accessing European funding through cross Atlantic co-productions. Speakers: Holger Carlsson, Little W Productions USA; Truls Kontny, European Film Commission; Mikael Svensson, Southern Sweden Film Commission; Ingrid Rudefors, Film Region Stockholm Mälardalen

Learn how music and picture come together for maximum emotional impact. Attendees will receive advice from Music Supervision pros and try their hand at music supervision with real creative briefs. Speakers: Kat Olsen, Marmoset; Ryan Wines, Marmoset; Beth Amy Rosenblatt

In a world where nearly all filmmakers are distributing films themselves we will explore the role of the Producer of Marketing and Distribution and the costs, availability, benefits, and responsibility. Speakers: Jennifer MacArthur, Borderline Media; Jon Reiss, Hybrid Cinema; Nicolas Gonda, Tugg Inc; Sally Hodgson

A small portion of SXSW registrants are under 21. But what about building the next generation of filmmakers? Join this panel to learn how several women took the challenge to start a career.

(Saturday, March 12, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM, Marchesa Theater)

Wake Up Streaming: The Future of Film Fandom

The state of film appreciation and home viewing is alienating and frustrating. This panel will discuss how we want film culture and home viewing to evolve. We will prognosticate and make proposals. Speakers: Tom Roston Johnny Dunn, Annapurna Pictures; Tim League Peter Gerard, Vimeo

How do you not only find the right character for your story but also the best technology to shape the narrative? Join filmmakers Lucy Walker and Bryn Mooser for a look into their creative process. Speakers: Bryn Mooser, RYOT; Lucy Walker, Tree Tree Tree

From documentary to music creation at the age of Internet. How a documentary experience can be turned into a worldwide collaborative music experience? Speakers: François Le Gall, Camera Talk Productions; Nicolas Blies, a_BAHN

FOX has had a lot of success with their animated programs including THE SIMPSONS, FAMILY GUY and BOB’S BURGERS. Producers and voice talent can share their experiences from the long running series. Speakers: Al Jean, The Simpsons; Loren Bouchard, Bob’s Burgers; Rich Appel, Family Guy

(Monday, March 14, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM, Ballroom CD, Four Seasons)

Farselona

While the traditional history documentary nears its demise, web-interactive formats breathe fresh life into the genre. Storytellers are asked how to keep history appealing to future generations. Speaker: Kika Serra

Key players explore the gaps in the film marketplace & the role of social media and new marketing channels to connect films with digitally native and always connected audiences. Speakers: Matt Kaplan, Shovel Buddies

Natural Life, an experimental documentary comprised of a single-channel video, an installation and an interactive online archive, tells the stories of five juveniles sentenced to life without parole. Speaker: Tirtza Even, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

RICERCA is an animated, cinematic installation experience, exploring how a narrative film about a bicyclist in search a memory can be told using hand-drawn media, multiple screens, and a 3D soundscape. Speakers: Will Cherry, Yo-Yo Lin, Michael Matchen, Freelance; Elle Callahan, Elle Callahan Sound

The ever-expanding boundaries of digital storytelling will be explored through the case study of White Ninja – the first ever narrative-based series for the Vine social media platform. Speakers: Jameson Parker, Whiskaye Films; Tyler Funk, North of Now Films

Discover how Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality will change the future.

Five Ways AR Will Change the World

Augmented Reality has been a buzzword for many years but where is it going? Is it really a disruptive technology? If so why and how will it change our lives? Speakers: Awane Jones, MERCHLAR; Troed Sangberg, Sony; Jay Wright, Vuforia